Compulsive Exercise Test Valid for Adults With Anorexia

MONDAY, Oct. 10, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The Compulsive Exercise Test (CET) is a valid and reliable self-report measure of compulsive exercise for adults with anorexia nervosa (AN), according to a study published online Oct. 3 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Sarah Young, a D.Clin.Psych./Ph.D. candidate, at the University of Sydney, and colleagues evaluated the validity of the exercise items of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) and Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) against the CET and other self-reported exercise measures in 78 adult patients with AN.

The researchers found that EDE exercise days and exercise time per day were positively correlated with each other and with all CET subscales, except lack of exercise enjoyment, as well as Commitment to Exercise Scale (CES) mean, Exercise Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ) total, and Reasons for Exercise Inventory (REI) total. Good concurrent validity was seen with CET and the CES, the REI, and the EBQ. The CET demonstrated good to excellent reliability and explained the greatest variance in eating disorder psychopathology.